Parks for Everyone

Parks should be freely enjoyed by people of all ages.

Whether it is to play a game, stretch, read a book, watch the squirrels make friendships or enjoy a community garden, neighbourhood parks should be the communities back yard.

Need for Parks

There was a period of time that the design of parks were more decorative than functional. But now people realize the parks role in our lives are critical to our well being. There has been a resurgence in returning parks to some of the original ideals:

• Bringing some of the country to the city,
• Having a democratizing influence where people can meet without reference to their socio-economic differences, bringing their individual interests to the park,
• Providing a space for physical activities and spontaneous play

Signs of a Good Park

There are many characteristics of a successful park. First identified in the research of William Whyte's Street Life Project, these attributes are:

• People engaged in a wide range of activities and uses
• Diversity of ages and balance of genders
• People present in groups as well as along
• Most parts of the park are used;there are few empty or unused areas
• Well-used at all different times of day and week, even during poor weather conditions.
• It is important to be able to respond to the changing needs of residents and to observe and listen to their needs.

Its success can also be measured by other indicators, such as public displays of affection comfort and safety, stewardship, and the way people share the space to engage in different activities packed tightly together.

Impact on Public Health

Residential intensification is forcing people to pay attention to how public spaces can bring communities together and lead active lives. Television, computers, and video games — while valuable in their own right — have cut into time that children would otherwise spend playing outdoors.

Childhood obesity is on the rise. In March 2007 The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health released a report entitled Healthy Weight for Healthy Kids. A CBC news story on the report revealed that roughly 1/4 of children are obese and are expected to live shorter lives than the parents.

It is widely accepted now that people who engage in regular physical activity are less likely to suffer from premature death, risk of coronary heart disease, hypertension, colon cancer, and certain types of diabetes.

In various studies linked to in the resources section of the web site, it has been shown that access to parks increases frequency of exercise and and exposure to greenery and nature makes people healthier and happier.

Invest in Parks

The Toronto Renaissance Parks Strategy is being undertaken by the City of Toronto to help direct the development of Parks and Trails in Toronto. A series of workshops that got feedback from 800 individuals and organizations were conducted by Urban Strategies Inc. and funded through Maytree foundation and the Parks and Recreation. The report made several recommendations. A few of the highlights were:

• Universal accessibility should form the basic foundation of park design recognizing the needs of an aging population, persons with disabilities, trails being to narrow in places etc.)
• Diversity is a positive thing so that the city should be prepared to convert if necessary baseball fields into cricket pitches.
• Distinction should be made between standards and standardization, so that standards are maintained but it does not have to be a one size fits all formula.
• On site elements of the park system related to maintenance, garbage collection, amenities (such as washrooms, drinking water fountains, walkways and connections to parks) need improvement.
• Park system expansion through land acquisition is necessary to meet increasing demand. We should partner with CN to gain access to areas that are currently operating lines but are needed for trail linkages. Ravines and hydro-corridors need to become part of the trail system.
• Participants placed a high value on the preservation and protection of natural areas. Some uses such as skateboarding or biking may be incompatible and require dedicated areas. Dogs should have to be on leash in trails in natural areas.
• Integrating activities helps the level of safety in parks. Hiring more Park staff would increase park activities, benefit local youth employment and increase level of safety. Many also felt that park design elements such as clear sightlines, lighting and access are key to safety.
• Increasing sensitive enforcement such as Park rangers could help with by law enforcement.
• User conflicts need to be proactively addressed such as separating bike paths from pedestrians and dogs off leash should be sectioned off as they may intimidate park users.
• The city could build small community centres in parks and while programming should not have to be the responsibility of the city, the facilities should be maintained by them. Schools can also be used for centres in some areas.
• There needs to a variety of programming that engages all ages..youth and seniors need to be accommodated. The concept of play for all ages was revived. Adults need to play as well. There was need for regional facilities for more advanced players.
• Activities for all seasons including winter months. Parks should incorporate winter facilities such as ice rinks and tobaggon hills.
• The planning process of parks should ensure that there is frequent local consultation and a real assessment of the communities needs. Different age groups wants and needs should be considered.

Success Stories in Toronto

Many underutilized parcels of land are being converted into public spaces through the stewardship of people that live around the area. Also there are parks that were once a centre for criminal activity or merely abandoned strips of grass but are now successful neighborhood parks.

Dufferin Grove park near Dufferin Street and Bloor Street in Toronto is one such story. The neighbourhood identified what the community needed and created space and opportunities for people to share their interests and talents through the park.

Rather than opt for fancy park play structures, Dufferin Grove, as many residents know, used a model that focussed on sand, water, nature, and leaves. Their children's play structures were saved from the city wide efforts to rip out playgrounds in the name of public health and safety.

Dufferin Grove has a homey feel to it with movable fences, reasonably priced healthy food often prepared on the premises or at neighborhood small businesses, celebration of festivals of many faiths, spontaneous workshops, farmers market, an outdoor community bake oven and they are going to be trendsetters with their cob courtyard and bio-toilet project.

Through effective stewardship, Dufferin Grove has attracted the interests and talents of a community that far exceeds its immediate boundary. It nevertheless feels like home to its immediate neighbours.

St. James Town West Park, located in one of the most multicultural neighbourhoods in America has developed a strong sense of park volunteerism with its community gardens. St. James Town has over 22,000 people in about 20 high rises and this is the community's backyard.

Visit the Play At The Park Resource and News section to learn about the importance of park planning and how it took strong leadership on the part of the Mayor as well as support from the community to make it a very livable, lively city.

If you have stories to share or are in the process of designing your park, please do let us know – we would be happy to attach your letter or link to our site.